Cat Fakes Injury to Enter Home: Is Your Feline Friend up to Something?

Cats often fake injury to gain entry into their homes. This is usually done when a cat feels threatened or when they are feeling playful.

Cats will often hiss and swipe at their opponents in an attempt to get them away. When they fake injury, it allows them to gain the attention of their owners and make them feel complicit in the situation.

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Reasons cats might fake an injury

Cats might fake an injury in order to gain entry into their owner’s home. There are a few reasons why cats might do this.

Cats may fake an injury to get the owner’s attention, or they may do it to get away from another cat or person.

Cats are typically very good at using their eyes and ears to navigate their surroundings, so if one of those senses tells them that they are away from home and in danger, they will do whatever it takes to return to safety.

For example, if a cat feels like someone or something is chasing them outside, they may start yowling and limping to make their escape appear as if it was attacked.

Methods used by cat fakes injury to enter home

Cats are masters of deception, using a variety of methods to get into homes. Some cats fake injury in order to gain entry into their home.

Injuries can be anything from a broken leg to a bloody nose, and cats will use whatever tactic works best to get inside. Some of these methods are as follows:

Scratching: When a cat scratches at a door or window, they may be trying to get your attention and try to get inside.
Playing aggressively: A cat playing aggressively may try to scare you enough so you will let them in.
Purring softly: If a cat is purring softly and rubbing against you, it may be trying to show that they are friendly and want to be let in.
Acting wounded: If a cat appears injured, it may try to get your sympathy and help get inside the house.

How to help a cat who is pretending to be injured

If you see your cat pretending to be injured, you can do a few things to help.

Look for any obvious injuries. If your cat has an injury, that’s easy to spot. He’s probably not actually hurt.
Check for signs of dehydration or malnutrition. If your cat is showing any of these conditions, he may be trying to fake being injured in order to get some attention from you.
Talk to your cat in a calm, gentle voice. Don’t scold or force him to do anything he doesn’t want.
Stay close by and watch for clues as to what might be wrong with him. If he starts licking or biting at his fur excessively, that might be a sign that he’s in pain.
Offer him food and water if he seems thirsty or hungry (but don’t force him).

How to tell if your cat is actually injured

If you think your cat might be injured, you can do a few things to help determine if they are actually hurt.

First, is their appetite decreased? Typically a healthy cat will eat almost anything and everything. If their appetite is decreased or they are refusing food, this could indicate something is wrong.

Second, if your cat has lost a lot of weight or seems to be in pain when they move around, it may be worth taking them to the vet.

Finally, if your cat scratches themselves excessively or sleeps a lot more than usual, it may be an indication that they are in pain.

Conclusion

It is important to understand how cats fake injuries to prevent similar injuries from happening in the home.

By being aware of the behavior and why cats do it, we can better prevent accidents from occurring.